Without hesitation, Taylar Keel will tell you Greene Central tennis can win it all this year.

The Rams won their 20th consecutive conference championship last week and occupy the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Carolina 2-A as the two-day conference tournament begins Tuesday.

It will be held at Greene Central’s tennis courts.

“I think it’s going to be tough,” Keel said, “but I think we can pull it out.”

Greene Central plays its final non-conference match today against C.B. Aycock.Ayden-Grifton and North Lenoir will also play one another today, competing for the No. 2 slot in the conference. Chargers coach Will Tyer said his team has knocked pre-season goals “out of the park,” so they’re in good shape for the Hawks today as well as the conference tournament.

But with GC undefeated in the EC2A, area coaches know it’s the team packing the most competition.

“Everybody’s playing catch up with Greene Central,” NL coach Scott Alston said. “Greene Central’s tough, they’re undefeated (in the conference) and we’ve got a challenge, but I think our girls can step up and definitely hang with them.”

Greene Central has defeated all its conference matchups, 9-0, but coach Donald Clark still recognized good tennis players in the EC2A.

“The conference is getting better,” he said. “We really haven’t played anybody that didn’t hit balls back with us, so I really think the other coaches in the conference are doing a good job. We’ve had some good, competitive matches with everyone.”

Clark said he wasn’t expecting as fairly strong Rams team when the season began, as Greene Central lost its top four players to graduation last year. GC is currently ranked No. 5 in the state, a sign that the team has surpassed early-season expectations.

“I can’t say enough about these girls. They have just worked their tails off and have really come together as a team,” Clark said. “We had no thoughts whatsoever (to be) as strong as we are.”

Page 2 of 3 - Greene Central is 8-0 in the conference and 18-4 overall.

Clark said the team’s journey through the playoffs won’t be easy, but it’s capable. For now, he will take it one day at a time with the “solid” Rams.

While GC’s success has been a team effort, he commended some individuals who have stepped up for this year.

Keel was No. 5 last year and moved up to No. 1.

“It’s just a dramatic jump from five to one because the players area so much better,” Clark said. “She has just improved so much.”

In Lenoir County, North Lenoir senior Brook Parnell made a similar leap. She was the No. 6 player last year, which was her first playing tennis, and moved up to No. 2 this season. Parnell is the only senior on the team.

“I’m really excited about (the tournament),” she said Thursday before facing Ayden-Grifton. “We had a rough time last year because there were such (bigger) schools.”

North Lenoir, which is 5-3 in the EC2A, moved from 3-A to 2-A in the conference realignment this year.

“It makes me nervous about my game,” Parnell said about Tuesday, “but I definitely want to play my best. ... I think we can win the thing. With dedication and hard work, you can win anything.”

Alston said the Hawks’ tennis team has only made the playoffs once in school history.

“This is probably going to be the second opportunity for North Lenoir to make the playoffs,” he said. “(Tuesday), I think we have a chance to place second at the tournament and send two teams, at least, to regionals in Snow Hill next week.”

Page 3 of 3 - “I’m hoping that we will go into (the conference tournament) focused and play hard every point,” Clark said. “Sometimes when you get to the conference tournament, you have a tendency to let down because you’ve dominated the conference during the regular season, and you feel like you don’t have to play that hard.

“I try to convince the players that when you get to the post season … you lose a match, you go home.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.